NEWS HEADLINES

Police uncovered a cornucopia of assorted drugs after a traffic stop early Thursday morning in Rhome.

Darren A. Berkley

Rhome police officer Robert Gillock noticed a man acting suspiciously as he was pumping gasoline about 2:30 a.m. at Love’s Travel Center. Gillock followed the driver, who proceeded to cross over the center stripe several times.

“After I pulled him over, he acted extremely nervous,” Gillock said. “He told me his license was suspended and he probably had a warrant.”

Inside a pocket on the car door, officers discovered a brown bag filled with a variety of pills including Xanax, hydrocodone and methadone. They also found a prescription bottle of liquid hydrocodone with the label ripped off and a bag of what proved to be approximately 24 grams of methamphetamine.

The driver, Darren A. Berkley, 23, of Mansfield told officers the drugs weren’t his. He claimed someone had stolen his car, and when he’d gotten the car back the drugs just happened to be in there.

Berkley was arrested and charged with four counts of possession of a controlled substance, two counts of possession of a dangerous drugs, and driving with a suspended license. As of Friday, he remained in Wise County Jail under a $21,500 bond.

Rhome police officer Chance Garrett assisted with the stop.

Leave a Reply. Note: As of March 24, 2011, all posted comments will include the users full name.